Panthers preparing to face the sounds of Steve Smith
There is a 100 percent chance Steve Smith lobs some trash talk from the field to the Panthers’ sideline this weekend in Baltimore.
There is also a 100 percent chance someone on that sideline will love it.
“It’ll bring a smile to my face for sure,” said Carolina wide receivers coach Ricky Proehl. “I’ll smile the first time I see his face.”
Smith will face his old team for the first time on Sunday, and he’s already promised “blood and guts everywhere” when that happens. That comment encouraged longtime Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams to wear goggles during his media session on Thursday. Carolina safety Roman Harper was fined $15,000 for a hit on Smith in 2011, when Harper was with the Saints, and this week he didn’t seem at all remorseful. “I’ve never once apologized for what I did, nor will I,” Harper said. “I’ll leave it at that.”
Behind the blood and guts, though, there’s laughter and tears. Smith sometimes carries himself as if he doesn’t have a friend in the world – remember this is the guy who had physical altercations with two teammates while with the Panthers – but he forged a deep bond with Proehl.
Their families are close. And when the man who Proehl calls “probably the greatest Panther in the history of the organization” was released over the summer, the two of them spoke often both on the phone and in person. Proehl said it was “absolutely” emotional, and it was Proehl who acted as teammate, friend and coach – just like he had for years before.
“It was definitely tough,” Proehl said. “He was frustrated. He wanted to finish a Panther.
“I told him, ‘Don’t let your emotions get the best of you.’ He’s such an emotional person. That’s what makes him great. Sometimes players speak on emotions. I just said, ‘Be respectful. Handle it with class.’”
Smith has done that. In his interviews, he’s been entertaining and lively without being spiteful, telling reporters this week he just wanted to get this game over with. He has done nothing to burn any bridges, even though more than a few Panthers fans are still upset that he’s gone and no well-known receivers have been brought in to replace him.
There has been a thread of thought that Smith’s removal from the locker room may have also removed some drama. Proehl doesn’t see it that way. And that’s from someone who sometimes got the brunt of Smith’s ire and gave it right back.
“We’ve had heated arguments,” Proehl said. “That’s respect. He knows how much I love and respect him.
“He’s very intense. When he steps between the lines, he’s locked and loaded. That’s kind of how I was.”
That brings us to perhaps the ultimate payback for Smith: there’s no replacing his verve or his volume.
The new Panthers’ receivers are Kelvin Benjamin (a rookie) and veterans Jason Avant and Jerricho Cotchery. All are capable, all are very quiet compared to Smith.
“He’s at a whole other level,” Proehl said of Smith. “When you coach, you live through your players. He was the guy who you look forward to making you fired up.”
Benjamin is the next franchise receiver, with similar dimensions to Calvin Johnson, yet he could use a little more of Smith’s fire. He’s already had star turns on Sundays, but his consistency during the week is still ramping up. That process might have quickened with Smith buzzing in his ear.
So the challenge is not only replacing Smith on the field, but replacing him off it, too. Cam Newton is the star of the show, but who’s the emotional engine? The Panthers, and Proehl, have to figure that out.
Sunday will bring all of them a reminder of what the team had and what it lost.
“He’ll have a few choice words, I’m sure,” Proehl said.
The question is how loudly the Panthers will respond.
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